Tornadoes down trees, damage homes in northern Kane County Wednesday night

When Elgin resident Gina Crawmer heard tornado sirens go off Wednesday evening, she grabbed her daughters Keeley and Faith, and ran to the basement of their home in the 9N700 block of Whispering Springs Lane.

When they came upstairs a few minutes later, the family found trees and branches scattered around the yard and neighborhood, and their trampoline had been thrown against their neighbor’s house.

“The tornado went right by our house,” Keeley Crawmer said. “Hopefully insurance will cover my trampoline.”

The National Weather Service Romeoville office confirmed there were “multiple tornadoes in Kane County” Wednesday evening with reports of touchdowns in Lily Lake and South Elgin.

Meteorologist Brett Borchardt said they have photos and video of one tornado.

“All I can confirm is that there are multiple tornadoes,” Borchardt said.

In a text message, Campton Hills Trustee Timothy Morgan said a tornado touched down at Burlington and Dittman roads, but there was no damage.

Campton Township Road Commissioner Sam Gallucci said a tornado touched down at Bowes and Nestler roads in Elgin and caused damage.

Eric Goff, another resident on Whispering Springs Lane, had a tree uprooted in his front yard, which fell just feet from his front door. Goff said he could see the storm approaching just before it came through his yard.

“It rained hard, then it stopped and turned green, and then I started to see debris flying through the air,” Goff said.

That was when he grabbed his family and went to the basement.

“Before you knew it, it was sunny again,” Goff said. “Thankfully it looks like everybody is OK, that’s the important part.”

Goff’s home, like several of his neighbors’ homes, sustained minor damage to the roof, but was otherwise unharmed.

A portion of the roof was torn off of the Northwest Bible Baptist Church in Elgin. The property at 9N889 Nestler Road also saw a great deal of damage to trees, and a trailer was thrown around the back parking lot, causing damage to another car in the lot.

The church lost the southmost section of roofing in the storm, and pieces of the roof were left scattered around the property and hanging from trees.

Assistant Pastor Joel Szwarga said they were preparing for 7 p.m. Mass, and several church members had already arrived when the tornado hit about 6:24 p.m.

“I felt just like an immense pressure. It felt like the air got sucked out of the church when it hit,” Szwarga said. “God protected us all.”